The concept of jail is an essential element of the law enforcement system. However, every system is a complex structure that needs to consider many details to function properly. Its environment is also important for society’s safety and health. The Main County Corrections Department is the seventh-largest county jail system in the United States of America. It has around three thousand employees that observe and guard approximately seven thousand prisoners. Every jail needs to be safe for normal residents as well as for the inmates.
The Main County Corrections Department had faced certain issues connected to finances. Most of the problems are related to its size and the number of employees because there are around three thousand workers in this department whose budget is thirty percent of the county’s total budget. The county manager has demanded the restriction of a budget and that the department is reorganized and streamlined because of its inefficiency in the structure of the organization. However, it is crucial that “if the prison rolls are cut, it will not be politicians or celebrities who will pay the price, it will be the law-abiding citizens in an undeserved neighborhood” (PragerU, 2020). Another major problem is the access to proper medical treatment for the inmates. There are many reports that claim that jail staff is not ready for emergency medical situations and does not have the right supply for that. Safety conditions were the topic for five articles in the local newspaper within the last three months. Unfortunately, after thirty-five years around fifty percent of African American men have been arrested (Bushway et al., 2022, p. 3).
People are also concerned about the fact that jails are not safe enough for the commission meetings. Even though jail prisoners are being punished for breaking the law, they should be treated as humans. Most recent high-liability incidents have serious consequences mostly related to physical injury. Many inmates report superior attitudes from the officers and other jail workers. According to their stories, there are cases of physical and sincere violence. Unfortunately, physical and sexual violence is a common thing for people in prison. It is stated that thirty-five percent of men and twenty-four percent of women faced physical violence in jails (Widra, 2020). Jose Sanches who is a prisoner in this jail reported becoming paralyzed after an argument with an officer. He said that they almost killed him beating him so hard he could not move anymore. At the same time, officers do not accept this version and state that they only did what was necessary and defended themselves. This information questions the assertion that officers understand and respect their vision, mission, and values.
Their mission states that they provide safe and humane detention for every person to prepare them for a successful return to the community. Becoming a disabled person after a prison term is not a successful societal return. Forty percent of jail prisoners report at least one disability (LDA America, 2016). It shows that employees do not understand their key values, including accountability, trust, collaboration, and respect. It is recommended for the jail superiors to reorganize their team and control the values compliance in their attitude.
To conclude, the Main County Corrections Department needs many changes to make its service to the country and its people much better. It is vital for this jail to reorganize its staff and focus on finding specialists in many fields to really help people to get on the right track after their release. The Main County Corrections Department has many changes to face and overcome.
References
Bushway, S., Cabreros, I., Paige, J. W., Schwam, D. & Wenger, J. B. (2022). Barred from employment: More than half of unemployed men in their 30s had a criminal history of arrest. Science Advances, 8(7), 1-10. Web.
LDA America. (2016). Disability and criminal justice reform. Web.
PragerU. (2020). Why are so many Americans in prison? Youtube. Web.
Widra, E. (2020). No escape: The trauma of witnessing violence in prison.Prison Policy. Web.